Statoil and its license partners have chosen an unmanned wellhead platform as the concept for the Oseberg Future development phase I project in the North Sea. The platform will be controlled from the Oseberg field center.

Illustration of unmanned wellhead platform.

The investment decision is expected next winter.

Three various concept studies have been made for an unmanned wellhead platform. This platform has no living quarters, helicopter deck or lifeboats.

"The alternative was to place the wells on the seabed, but the costs of subsea wells have been tripled during the last decade. We have therefore chosen a jacket-based unmanned wellhead platform that will reduce costs by several hundred million NOK," says Anders Opedal, senior vice president of projects in Statoil.

Total cost for such unmanned wellhead platform is found to be very competitive to a subsea concept, all elements of construction, equipment, wells and maintenance considered.
"Based on prognoses the costs of subsea systems are still rising. We challenge the industry to cooperate with us so we can turn this trend and develop smart solutions, both above and below water," says Ivar Aasheim, senior vice president of field development in Statoil.

Statoil wants to use service vessels connected to the wellhead platform by gangways during maintenance campaigns after the jack-up drilling platform has completed its well drilling operations.

Unmanned wellhead platforms without facilities, helicopter deck and lifeboats represent a new concept in Norway, but they have been used for some time internationally, for example on the Danish and Dutch continental shelves.

All facilities will be found on the support vessel, with shorter distance to for example lifeboats and helicopter deck than on big installations.

"The platform will have high-quality equipment to reduce the need for maintenance during the operations phase. Consequently we are planning for only two short maintenance campaigns per year, which will be carefully planned and performed in good-weather seasons," says Aasheim.
Statoil and its license partners will now carry out pre-studies of the unmanned wellhead platform

Intertek, a leading quality solutions provider to industries worldwide, has invested £1.2m expanding its center of excellence for corrosion testing services to meet growing demand for asset life extension solutions in the oil and gas industry.

The expansion, which has been driven by major new contract awards worth around £1m, takes the total investment in the Manchester, UK, site to over £5m since it first opened in 2008.

Originally consisting of two units with a total size of 10,000 sq ft, the facility has been extended twice to meet rapidly growing demand for corrosion testing services, primarily from the oil and gas industry. Now covering 27,000 sq ft, it is one of the world's largest independent laboratories dedicated to corrosion testing.

Graeme Dicken, Business Manager for Testing at Intertek Production and Integrity Assurance, said, "We believe that our newly expanded facility is the largest of its kind in the world. The additional space will ensure that we can meet the increasing demand from clients to tackle the problems they are facing with respect to the use of materials and chemicals in extreme environments.

"Following the site expansion, we have large-scale bespoke test rigs to simulate specific environments and issues, providing clients with accurate data and solutions. The upgrade recently enabled us to conduct a pilot plant-scale flow loop and full pipe section subsea simulation studies. We have a proven track record of developing test methodologies and constructing novel equipment, which then become industry standard approaches."
The site provides specialist laboratories for sour service, high pressure/high temperature, coatings and non-metallics, chemical treatment testing and particularly corrosion fatigue studies. In addition, the facility has been granted accreditation for two tests under the UKAS ISO 17025:2005 standard - a vital requirement for clients seeking sour service testing.

Corrosion is well reported to cost the oil and gas industry $1.4bn (£896m) annually, with subsea, topsides and onshore equipment all vulnerable. Vital assets are increasingly expected to operate beyond their projected lifecycles, driving a rise in demand for the corrosion testing services that Production and Integrity Assurance offers.

Jim Palmer, Director of Intertek Production and Integrity Assurance, said: "With almost 40 years' experience in advanced corrosion testing, technology development and research, our business is uniquely positioned to provide pan-industry advanced corrosion testing services. Our Manchester site employs 65 corrosion and materials specialists, offering a multidisciplinary resource at one location, supported by a team of internationally renowned experts."

NYC-based PIRA Energy Group reports that the midcontinent crude stock build continued. In the U.S., this past week saw the largest stock build of the year. In Japan, crude stocks drew sharply. Specifically, PIRA's analysis of the oil market fundamentals has revealed the following:

Midcontinent Crude Stock Build Continues
The crude price plunge continued in January, with WTI falling to an average of $47.20. U.S. crude stocks rose 30 million barrels in January — 10 million in Cushing, 10 million on the Gulf Coast, and the rest mainly divided between the West Coast and other (non-Cushing) PADD II. The large crude builds will continue in February and likely into March and April, as well. As Gulf Coast tanks fill, and Cushing stocks reach 80-90 percent of operating capacity, stock builds will be pushed further upstream — to West Texas, Patoka, the Rockies and Western Canada.

U.S. Largest Build of the Year
This past week U.S. commercial oil inventories increased, driving the year-on-year stock surplus. The huge build was roughly equally divided between crude and products. Since the first week of the year, overall U.S. inventories are up 27 million barrels; product stocks are down 4 million barrels while crude oil inventories are up 31 million barrels (1.1 MMB/D). Some 55 million barrels of the year-on-year surplus is in crude oil. The bulk of the product surplus is in "other" products, but distillate inventories are now 21 million barrels (18%) over last year while gasoline is just 6 million barrels higher (0.4%).

Sharp Crude Stock Draw in Japan; Finished Products Slightly Lower
Crude runs eased fractionally on the week and crude imports dropped sharply producing a crude stock draw of 5.8 MMBbls. Finished product stocks were modestly lower. Indicative refining margins remain strong, while the expected rotation out of middle distillate cracks and into gasoline appears to be slowly taking shape.

The End of the "Saudi Put"?
The "Greenspan Put" referred to a market belief that the U.S. Federal Reserve would take action to put a floor on equity prices, thereby taking away downside risk and encouraging over-investment. In a sense, there has been a similar market belief in a "Saudi Put," which would take away downside oil price risk. With that "put" at least temporarily eliminated, the risk premium applied to oil investments is likely to be higher in the future, even as prices recover, potentially slowing the volume recovery from high capital cost projects.

Freight Market Outlook
Saudi Arabia continues to supply more crude oil than the market needs, and it is pricing aggressively, especially to Asia, to defend its market share while Iraqi production continues to grow as its government desperately seeks more revenue. For tanker operators this translates into more tanker demand for floating storage in the short term and from higher OPEC output and global crude trade as non-OPEC producers slash their capital expenses to adjust to the new low price environment.

Spot European Olefin Margins Plunge
Cracking economics in Europe plunged for all major feedstocks as their prices rallied amidst stable steam cracker product prices. Spot propane margins fell nearly 20% to 25¢/lb ethylene, but became the most profitable feedstock. Butane margins swooned 25% week-on-week to just 23¢ while naphtha cracking margins fell a remarkable 35% to just 18¢/gal. Persistent strength in naphtha has pulled regional LPG prices higher. This week's changes place spot European olefin manufacturing economics some distance behind those in Asia and North America.

U.S. Fuel Ethanol Exports Grow Sharply
The U.S. shipped over 810 million gallons of fuel ethanol in 2014, up 34% from 603 million gallons in 2013 and second only to 1.2 billion in 2011. This represented 5.7% of total U.S. supply.

The information above is part of PIRA Energy Group's weekly Energy Market Recap - which alerts readers to PIRA's current analysis of energy markets around the world as well as the key economic and political factors driving those markets.

2H Offshore, an Acteon company, has appointed Phil Ward as a director in its Aberdeen office. This new role reflects Ward's experience, knowledge and commitment to 2H, and is a promotion from his current role as principal engineer. Ward will work alongside the existing management team to jointly lead the company's growing Aberdeen business.

Ward holds a master's degree in engineering from the University of Cambridge. He is also a Chartered Engineer and a member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. Having worked for 2H Offshore in its Aberdeen office for more than four years, he offers extensive understanding of drilling, completion and intervention riser systems, both for subsea well and fixed platform operations, and in-depth knowledge of wellhead fatigue assessment, mitigation and structural monitoring.

Ward said, "2H's Aberdeen office has exhibited impressive growth over the past few years, and I look forward to further strengthening our share of the local market for riser and conductor engineering. My main focus will be on enhancing the support we give to our clients on their new drill developments, and maximising the potential of their existing infrastructure."

Operator Statoil has together with PL035 partners completed a two-well program in the Krafla area in the North Sea. Since 2011 significant new recoverable resources have been proven in the area.

The Krafla Main Tarbert appraisal well and the small oil discovery in the Krafla North prospect in December has increased the robustness of the Krafla field development project.

The Krafla area is located 25 kilometers southwest of Oseberg South in the North Sea. (Photo: Øyvind Hagen)

"Since 2011 we have made five discoveries in the Krafla area which includes the licenses PL035 and PL272: Krafla Main, Krafla West, Askja West, Askja East and Krafla North," says Irene Rummelhoff, Statoil senior vice president for exploration on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).
"Altogether we expect to have discovered recoverable resources in a range of 140-220 million barrels of oil equivalent just 25 kilometers southwest of Oseberg South and 150 kilometers west of Bergen. These are very substantial volumes for a mature area of the shelf," says Rummelhoff.

Statoil puts a lot of effort into unlocking the full potential of the mature areas of the NCS, both through increased recovery initiatives in producing fields and targeted exploration programs in surrounding areas.

The discoveries in the Krafla area once again demonstrate that growth opportunities still exist in the North Sea.

"Statoil has a unique role as an area architect in the mature parts of the NCS with long experience in developing new discoveries by utilizing existing infrastructure," says Knut Skjoldli, vice president field development west in Statoil.

Statoil is the operator of PL035/PL272 with an interest of 50%. The partners are Svenska Petroleum Exploration AS (25%) and Det norske oljeselskap ASA (25%).

Ashtead Technology has secured a new contract with FUGRO to be a preferred supplier of subsea rental equipment and associated services to all its operating companies around the world.

The award comes as the Aberdeen head-quartered business, which is the only global, independent provider of subsea electronic and survey equipment rental, sales and services, launched its 30th anniversary celebrations at Subsea Expo marking three decades of subsea technical excellence.

In the new two year agreement, Ashtead Technology will rent subsea equipment, including underwater positioning, subsea inspection, ROV survey sensors and tooling, metocean, hydrographic and geophysical and camera and video equipment, to FUGRO companies world-wide.

Photo:, Allan Pirie, chief executive and Tim Sheehan, commercial director of Ashtead Technology outside Ashtead's Aberdeen HQ

Tim Sheehan, commercial director of Ashtead Technology, said: "This is a strategically important contract win for us and we are totally focused on delivering real value and efficiencies to FUGRO by meeting all their requirements for subsea equipment across their global operations. We believe this contract award is a result of our service delivery to Fugro over the last two years coupled with major investment in our rental fleet which guarantees our customers can access the latest and most in-demand technology on the market."

Ashtead Technology, which made its biggest single annual investment of £10million in its fleet last year, is committed to further investment in the coming years.

"FUGRO is a major account for us and we will be working hard to build on existing relationships with all its operating companies from Aberdeen to Bergen, Cairo to Abu Dhabi, Singapore to Perth Australia and from Rio to Houston," added Mr. Sheehan.

Formed in 1985 as a subsea equipment rental company, Ashtead Technology has grown to become a market leader in providing integrated subsea technology solutions to customers around the globe.

The company has marked three decades in business with a clear strategy for the future to further increase its range of services. Through the delivery of enhanced technical support services, increasing the capabilities of its teams across the business and investing in the latest technology to build the largest and most modern rental fleet in the subsea sector, Ashtead Technology is well on-track to achieving its ambitions and is committed to further improving and growing its range of value-added services which now include the supply of offshore personnel, equipment sales, complete asset management, calibration, repair and maintenance, custom engineering, cable molding and training through the recently launched Ashtead Academy

Mr. Sheehan said: "With recent strong growth, significant investment in our rental fleet, a number ofexclusive product sales agreements secured with world-leading manufacturers and a brand new, industry-first training academy, we have entered our 30th year in a robust position.

"Since the eighties, the subsea sector has evolved to become a recognized stand-alone industry that has been growing globally at a phenomenal rate. With the recent decline in oil price, 2015 is set to be a challenging year but innovation and technology will be key to driving efficiency and Ashtead is ideally placed to work hand-in-hand with our customers to explore and then deliver the best and most efficient solutions for their specific needs."

As China's onshore oilfields mature, its three state-owned oil companies (CNOOC, CNPC and Sinopec) are looking to develop the country's sizeable unconventional and deepwater reserves. Whilst more technically challenging to develop than historical oil & gas plays in northern China, these fields provide a chance to revive stagnant oil output as well as boost China's considerable gas potential. China holds the largest combined shale oil and gas reserves in the world, weighing in at 244 billion barrels of oil equivalent (EIA, 2013). In addition, 2014 saw the $6.5 billion deepwater Liwan-3 natural gas field, located in the South China Sea, brought online. This was China's first deepwater development and signals the start of a series of deepwater oil and gas projects over the coming years.

While these signs will be encouraging for China's NOCs, it is likely greater measures will be required to secure China's long term domestic hydrocarbon production. For both deepwater and shale plays, the expertise of IOCs will be crucial for effective development. Saudi Aramco has recognised this in recent years and has signed deals with several IOCs to explore and develop shale resources in southern Saudi Arabia. With respect to Capex-intensive deepwater projects, the financial clout of IOCs has been utilised by various West African NOCs. A major barrier to IOC involvement in China exists in the form of the current production sharing contract (PSC) structure. Currently PSCs in China are particularly demanding on participating foreign oil companies, with the non-state share of produced hydrocarbons subject to a series of reductions and taxes. These include the recovery of the NOC's exploration and development costs as well as corporation tax and special oil levy. The special oil levy varies with the price of oil, with 20% taken when spot prices are in the $55-$60 range and increasing to 40% when prices are above $75. At the time of writing, the Brent crude benchmark stands at $58.52, suggesting sustained low oil prices in 2015 and beyond could represent an opportunity for IOCs and independents to invest in Chinese assets whilst the special oil levy is at its lowest.

Matt Cook, Douglas-Westwood London
+44 1795 594735 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.douglas-westwood.com

InterMoor, an Acteon company, has announced that Cohen Guidry has been appointed regional manager, West Africa. This is InterMoor's lead West Africa management role, and Guidry will report to Tom Fulton, InterMoor's global president.

Fulton said, "Cohen's dedication, initiative and knowledge of the West Africa region will support our further business development in an important growth region for InterMoor and for the industry."

InterMoor has been working in West Africa for more than 10 years with bases in Luanda and Malongo in Angola. Last year, InterMoor formed a joint venture agreement with Century Energy Services Ltd in Nigeria to ensure an effective local engagement with the Nigerian oil and gas market. The company also has extensive experience with rig moves and mooring campaigns in Angola and Equatorial Guinea.

Guidry joined InterMoor in 2006 as HSE manager and has more than 20 years of experience in the offshore oil and gas industry, in quality, health, safety and security roles. He served as InterMoor's West Africa operations manager and grew the business in Nigeria, Ghana and Angola, as well as coordinating mobile offshore drilling units (MODU) for mooring systems installations. Guidry served in the U.S. Army from 1988 to 1992 and is a Desert Storm veteran. He graduated from Nicholls State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in business in 1996. Guidry is a certified lead auditor. He will be based at InterMoor's offices in Morgan City, Louisiana.

Bibby Offshore, a leading provider of subsea installation and services, continues its global success with the announcement that its Singapore division, Bibby Offshore Singapore (BOS), has secured a contract with subsea service provider Seascape.

Singaporean company Seascape, a subsidiary of Mermaid Subsea Services, has appointed BOS to provide ROV services for its DP2 dive support vessel (DSV), the Windermere.

Launch of Bibby Offshore owned ATOM work class ROV

The 365 day contract, which commenced on 5 January 2015, involved the vessel being mobilized with a Bibby Offshore owned ATOM work class ROV. Designed with ease of operation and maintenance in mind, the 100HP, 3000m-rated, SMD ultra-compact work class ROV is suitable for drill support, survey and construction duties, and can be mobilized on vessels and rigs with limited deck space.

Malcolm Rennie, General Manager at Bibby Offshore Singapore said: "This contract win with Seascape is further evidence of the continued demand for BOS's services as a leading supplier of specialist ROV equipment, and experienced personnel. This announcement marks a positive start to the year for the division and underpins our commitment to providing a first class service to clients in the region.

"With the continued support of Bibby Offshore, the team in Singapore strives to deliver competitive services to the Asia Pacific region and India, and to be a partner of choice for leading companies in the region."

Bibby Offshore has enjoyed steady growth since 2003 and now employs more than 1,450 people onshore and offshore worldwide, with offices in Aberdeen, Liverpool, Newcastle, Singapore, Trinidad, Houston, and Norway. The company has an international fleet of seven subsea support vessels and 17 ROVs, and will continue to add to its fleet to meet demand.

N-Sea, the Inspection, Maintenance and Repair (IMR) specialist, has launched its third diving support vessel. The Edradour represents a £1.5 million investment for the company and will be immediately utilized in its industry-leading IMR operations in the North Sea, as well as in Holland and Germany.

The Edradour, with sister vessel the Aberlour

Launched in Aberdeen Harbor at the beginning of the month, the Edradour's high-capacity and high-performance capabilities as a daughter craft will be showcased at Subsea Expo in Aberdeen this week. Similar to its sister vessel, the Aberlour, the Edradour features added capability and redundancy, making it ideally suited for restricted area access around offshore vessels, platforms and mobile offshore drilling units where diving support vessels have limited access for maintenance and surveys.

The Edradour will be utilized as a specialist diving and intervention craft for the inspection of subsea structure, light construction works, debris removal, special periodic surveys (SPS) and inshore harbor survey work.

Commenting on the launch of the vessel, N-Sea Chief Operating Officer, Roddy James said: "We are proud to have added the Edradour to our increasing fleet of dive support and specialist intervention vessels; it represents the next generation of craft in terms of safety, capability and reliability. N-Sea's key objective is to produce safe, sound and swift solutions and the Edradour ensures our fleet will continue to exceed the expectations of our clients within the offshore subsea industry."

N-Sea is known for its innovative work as an independent offshore subsea contractor, specializing in IMR services for the international oil and gas, renewable and telecom/utility industries, as well as for civil contracting communities. With particular focus on North Sea activity, N-Sea provides offshore and survey services to major operators and service companies alike.

Global-leading energy services firm Proserv has won a much coveted industry award in recognition of its outstanding achievements after being named Company of the Year at the 2015 Subsea UK Awards last night (11 February).

Over the past year, Proserv has marked a number of key milestones including winning a series of high-profile contract awards globally, expanding its manufacturing facilities and capabilities and launching several new game-changing subsea technologies. Proserv also secured a major acquisition deal to help ensure its future sustainable growth and success.

Proserv engineer John Stoddard, who joined the company as a graduate just three years ago, also came under the spotlight at the Subsea UK Awards as a finalist in the Young Emerging Talent category.

David Lamont, Proserv's chief executive officer,(photo) said: "It is a real privilege to win this award particularly during what has been a very challenging time for the industry. Against this backdrop, we have continued to evolve through a robust business strategy focused upon building on our market-leading position, track record and delivery of world-class products and services.

"It is also with great pride to see someone from our dedicated engineering team hailed as talent of the future. John's recognition is very well deserved and highlights the importance we place on developing our people and encouraging the next generation into the energy industry.

"At Proserv we work as a team and I see these awards as recognition of the hard work of everyone throughout the company in building our business to where we are today."

The Subsea UK accolade is one in a series of awards that Proserv has won in recent months. Promising young employees, Marnie Toal, of Sauchen, Aberdeenshire, won the Oil & Gas UK Award for Apprentice of the Year while John Stoddard, of Peterculter, Aberdeen, also made the Graduate of the Year final shortlist at the awards.

Proserv also scooped Business of the Year and Great Engineering & Manufacturing Company of the Year at Great Yarmouth's Spirit of Enterprise Awards 2014. The company's subsea controls center of excellence is based in Great Yarmouth, UK. Last year, the team completed and released game-changing technology for subsea control and monitoring communications (Artemis 2G), reinforcing Proserv's rapidly-expanding subsea capabilities and world-class engineering expertise.

In addition to the large scale contract wins during 2014 with operators including Hess Corporation, Noble Energy and Talos Energy, Proserv signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by major US private equity investor Riverstone Holdings LLC in December 2014. Proserv will continue to operate as an independent company under the terms of the deal as it embarks on its next phase of growth.

Proserv, which operates worldwide through 29 operating centers based in 11 countries, has a 40-year track record in delivering world-class solutions for the energy industry, particularly in the drilling, production and subsea market sectors.

GAC UK is sharpening its commercial and operational focus on the oil and gas sector with the appointment of two managers to serve clients with offshore operations.

Adrian Henry has been appointed Offshore Manager for the UK, in addition to his responsibilities as Branch Manager of GAC Shetland. Based in Shetlands, he acts as a link between customers from the oil and gas sector and GAC's branch offices around the UK to ensure that efficient, safe and timely service is delivered whenever and wherever it is needed.

Michael Henderson has been promoted from Agency Manager to Branch Manager of GAC Aberdeen and is charged with the task of taking GAC's portfolio of shipping, logistics and marine support services offered at the key oil and gas port to the next level.

GAC UK's Shipping Manager Duncan Heseltine says: "We provide our customers with one point of contact, efficient local service, administration and accurate billing. Our hands-on support and in-depth knowledge of the business allow us to understand the demands placed on our customers, and we are streamlining ourselves to better cater to their requirements."

This latest development reflects GAC's long-term commitment to the offshore energy industry. The recent fall in the oil prices have not affected all operations in the North Sea and elsewhere in UK waters, as many projects in the area are at the mature stage, with the initial exploration and drilling investment made several years ago. For such projects, extraction goes on – and so does GAC's operational support

BMT Nigel Gee Ltd, a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd, has announced that Trearddur Bay, its latest design for Turbine Transfers, one of the leading providers of Windfarm Support Vessels, has successfully completed sea trials in the Solent, achieving 31 knots with 8 tons DWT. With sea trials completed Trearddur Bay has immediately started work for Dong Energy.

Built by Aluminium Marine Consultants (AMC) on the Isle of Wight, Trearddur Bay was launched in December 2014. The vessel is 21m long with a beam of 7.0m and utilises BMT's well proven catamaran hull form. The design is already recognised for its excellent fuel economy and seakeeping.

Trearddur Bay is the first vessel in world to be fitted with the Voith Linear Jet (VLJ); an innovative propulsor unit developed by Voith. The VLJ is an advanced ducted propeller combined with a stator positioned in the duct aft of the propeller, in a similar arrangement to that of a waterjet. Trearddur Bay is fitted with a VLJ 900 propelled by 2 x MTU 10V2000M72 engines offering very high efficiency and lower fuel consumption. For the same installed power the VLJ can provide a bollard pull approximately significantly higher than that of a waterjet and conventional fixed pitch propellers.

Ed Dudson, BMT Nigel Gee's Technical Director commented: "Trearddur Bay's successful sea trails demonstrate BMT Nigel Gee's ability to combine robust, proven hull forms with innovative propulsion systems to new solutions for this fast growing market."

New research from DNV GL has highlighted that senior oil and gas executives are split over how to tackle the year ahead. Those who are most confident about reaching their profit targets plan to take a long-term approach to riding cost management, while those pessimistic about hitting their profit targets are more likely to take short-term cost-cutting measures.

A Balancing Act is our fifth annual benchmark study on the outlook for the industry, providing a valuable snapshot of industry confidence, priorities and concerns for the year ahead. It draws on a survey of more than 360 senior oil and gas professionals during the week of 19 January 2015, in addition to in-depth interviews with industry experts.

The report also highlights other important expectations for 2015. These include new approaches to cost control and R&D spending, and shifting trends in the industry's shortage of skilled professionals.

Download your complimentary copy of A Balancing Act:

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: APC) announces the election of Mark C. McKinley to serve as an independent director of the company, effective Feb. 11, 2015. McKinley also was appointed a member of the Board's Audit Committee.
"Mark's entrepreneurial, operational and business achievements during his long history in domestic and international oil and natural gas development bring valuable perspective to the Anadarko Board of Directors," said Anadarko Chairman, President and CEO Al Walker. "We are fortunate to have Mark join our Board."

MARK C. McKINLEY 
McKinley, 58, has served as Managing Partner of MK Resources LLC, a private oil and gas development company specializing in the recovery and production of crude oil and the development of unconventional resource projects, for more than ten years. Since October 2007 he has served as a director of Buckeye GP, LLC, the general partner of Buckeye Partners, L.P., a publicly traded midstream master limited partnership. He also is the founder and President of Labrador Oil Company, a private oil and natural gas exploration and development firm. Mr. McKinley currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the Merrymac McKinley Foundation and the Tip of the Spear Foundation.

BOARD RETIREMENT 
Anadarko also announced that Charles W. "Chip" Goodyear will retire at the close of Anadarko's annual stockholder meeting in May. "We are grateful for Chip's contributions to the Board and service to Anadarko's stakeholders," said Walker. "We wish Chip the very best in his future endeavors."

The revolutionary website and GeoPortal are meant to encourage robust and expanded public engagement through innovative processes and pathways.

CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. (CSA) has successfully assisted the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in the development of a public engagement website and online GeoPortal associated with the preparation of a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program (www.BOEMoceaninfo.com). BOEM's vision for the Programmatic EIS scoping process is to engage a wide range of stakeholders and promote a dynamic stakeholder interaction that will comprehensively capture relevant and diverse input as it relates to local expertise and perspectives. The primary website provides access to information regarding the public involvement process, Programmatic EIS education, GeoPortal access, and best practices for formulating comments.

CSA, in association with Kearns & West, supported BOEM in the development of an improved method for collecting useful scoping comments to inform the Programmatic EIS process. Users of the website and GeoPortal are encouraged to provide comments that are specific, geographically-focused, concise, and supported by scientific evidence or sound reasoning. Stakeholders are encouraged to participate in the process by submitting comments online, creating maps on the GeoPortal site to support their comments, or uploading relevant geospatial datasets. Utilizing new web development toolsets, BOEM will be able to capture a broader, national range of stakeholder feedback while funneling comments and suggestions through an evaluation process aimed at collecting those most relevant to the scoping of the Programmatic EIS.

Understanding the need for insightful visualizations, BOEM commissioned CSA to design, develop, and construct a GeoPortal built around spatial data focused on the conditions and features of the OCS within the areas under possible consideration of potential new leases in Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico, and Mid- and South Atlantic. Stakeholders will be able to investigate areas being considered, identify data gaps, create maps to submit with comments, and enhance their knowledge of resources that may be affected. The GeoPortal provides a variety of data sets that range from bathymetry contours and commercial fishing areas to critical habitats for protected species and managed areas. Interactive features such as drawing, measurement, and identification tools allow users to create customized maps to support their comments or suggestions.

Poojan Tripathi, BOEM's Project Manager, said, "Both the public engagement website and GeoPortal will be extremely useful tools in presenting relevant and up-to-date information to stakeholders in the decision-making process and ensuring that the comments we receive directly inform the NEPA analysis we are presently embarking upon. We hope this innovative approach will set a new standard for the Bureau in engaging stakeholders in a meaningful and substantive way."

CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. specializes in consulting services for Federal, State, and private industry clients in multidisciplinary projects, integrating science and technology to evaluate environmental activities throughout the world. CSA offers a wide variety of services related to environmental management and community planning to support clients working in marine, estuarine, wetland, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats throughout the United States and overseas.